Knitting the Pickwickflock stash

I have started knitting from my Pickwick stash...this should turn into a sweater/jumper...

I love it... it slides on the needles, I'm not a very fast knitter but this is going pretty good started on the 10th and this is as far as I am at the moment.

A cowl too...

I'm calling it my snake cowl it's fun as it could be stacked on layers depending on how cold and windy is the weather...

Pickwick completed...

I have finished spinning it before Christmas but didn't have the time to wash the last skein (popcorn) as I was too busy, I finally did it yesterday and the weather is kind of grey so it's not the best photos but here it is.

I named this one Popcorn

and here is the entire stash...

Lots of beautiful yarn to play around.

Pickwickflock...cotswold lamb fleece to yarn

Test skein

It was lovely to spin. It's soft, lustrous and a little fuzzy.

Test knit

I knitted it with 4mm Knitter's Pride Dreamz, as it got some fuzz I did try larger needles as I would do for mohair to see how it would react.

Now the real deal!!!

376 yards/150 grams

It is very nice, soft, lustrous... still need a good wash.

The final result...

washed with shampoo and rinse with some hair conditioner, then I used the salad spinner to drain off all the water and to finish a good whack.  The photo is showing it drying.

I named the first skein Big Pearl... and I think it deserved some little ribbons.

This one is even softer as I didn't twist as much as the test one, and it really does make a difference.

It even got a twin!

Pickwickflock... processing my fleece

First thing I did was pulling the locks, so that way I can pick up any second cuts and then I put all the locks I'll be washing in my "large" salad spinner basket, filling up the kitchen sink with very hot water adding some dish soap "Dawn" original *blue  

I'm just taking the basket right into the water and do let it sit for 10 minutes, I do not let the water getting cold and I don't put too many locks so there is lot of water around,  when done all I have to do is taking the basket out and let it sit in the spinner while I fill up the sink again with very hot water for the first rinse, putting the basket back to the sink and let it sit for 10 minutes and I do another rinse the same way.  For the very dirty parts I just take it apart for a cold soak few hours and later wash as previously mentioned.

When I'm finished with the rinses I take the basket out of the water, all the water just draining off without manipulating the fleece, I put the basket in the bowl put the top on and I do spin all the water out, it's making this the easiest way to wash even if the weather is not perfect.

The same locks all dried up, you will probably notice there is still some lanolin and yes I do this on purpose as it is making the wool easier to spin, if you ever find out you "over washed a fleece just use some good quality hair conditioner while rinsing after dying or while washing after spinning, it's better than using liquid fabric softener as wool is hair after all.  I do this too with finished projects too, you can always add few drops of lavender essential oil for a fragrance on the plus side it is a natural moth repellent. 

a lock next to some tussah silk top

Combing the tips

processed on my hackle and dizzed... fluffed like a cloud

Spinning on my wheel

Pickwickflock... Raw ram lamb fleece

Today I just received my firsts lamb flee from *Pickwickflock on Ravelry, it was fast as it's been shipped from the UK on Monday 7 and delivered in Canada by Thursday 10, it is a very nice fleece and it does smell good too, and it is soooooooooooo soft!!!!!

Nice shinny locks, average 5 inches quite long for a lamb :)

almost no vm , 

few dirty tips...

so I did a washing test...

as you can see for a first wash it's looking good

after the rinse I used a salad spinner, it's the best way to get most of the water off without hurting the locks structure,  it's not dry yet but you can see it's pearly white, lustrous, so mostly in average this won't need more than 2 washes and 3 rinses to have sparkly white tips, so it is an easy to wash fleece.  But I will see when fully dry I might just keep it that way as I want to keep some lanolin for spinning, and as per usual I always wash my yarn when done.

Fun under the sun...

I have been spinning  all summer.  Since last spring my right arm has been in pain so no knitting for me :(  I only been spinning merino giving a rest and some time to heal to that injured arm.

 Now I have lots of merino 

2 pounds of dark brown, 1 pound of golden and 1 pound of powder blue.  This was from the fibers I posted on this blog earlier, it's all washed and whacked then dried outside, now it's all waiting for some needles or crochets.

Keep your wool safe

Since I only use natural fibers and I don't buy yarn as most are dyed and dipped into pesticides to keep the moths away... well many people might find they are not allergic to wool or lanolin  but to the chemicals used at the processing mills while dying.

I simply buy few planks of red cedar, I put those in the closets and use lavender sachets in the drawers, you can always use some lavender essential oil to refresh the sachets.  The bugs won't bug you and won't feast on your wool, better be safe than sorry, this is very simple and natural no harmful chemicals.

It's not very expensive or complicate and it's working great.